🍼 FIELD GUIDE 45: Labor of Love

Jaquelyn and I met in that very same restaurant on the beach I mention on occasion. We became fast friends, always laughing both in and outside of work. She introduced me to her chicken tetrazzini and I haven’t been able to make it taste like hers since.

We’ve grown in different directions but watching each other’s families grow from afar. Jaquelyn is a nurse specializing in Labor & Delivery. Going into each shift to empower and encourage even through some of the hardest and most trying times in women’s lives.

She is confident in her knowledge and shares that confidence with her patients even when they’re unsure. Through it all, we support each other.

—Skyler

Name

Jaquelyn Hatmaker

Habitat

Savannah, GA

Occupation

Labor and Delivery Nurse

Soundtrack

(Spotify)

Hi, good day. I would say good morning or good evening, but I have a 7 month old daughter and my brain at least allows me to know the difference between day and night still.

My name is Jaquelyn, but I go by Jaq.

One reason, it’s easier to remember a girl named Jaq and the other reason? Key and Peele slaughtered my name.

I grew up in Savannah, GA, born and raised. My dad is a physician and my mom is/was a teacher, she’s lucky and has been able to retire. They raised me and my five brothers and sister. I loved growing up in a large family, it really encouraged me to be independent.

I started working when I was 16 years old and that is how I met Skyler. When we first met, I was a hostess just working to get enough money to go on a field trip for school. Little did I know, this restaurant would be such a huge influence in my life too.

By my senior year of high school, I knew I wanted to work in healthcare. Refilling drinks for people who said they felt “diet coke” when asked how they were was not my whole dream.

But, I will say working in the restaurant industry has helped me tremendously in working in the hospital. People skills can take you a long way in life. I started as a host and worked my way up into management at that beachside restaurant. Throughout my time, I learned prioritization, delegation, communication and how to smile when I am irritated or exhausted. My dad did have a big influence on me as he worked as a doctor all throughout my life.

The bigger influence of me being a nurse though, is that a nurse has more flexible hours and less liability… I’m kidding.

I enjoy working with people and I felt as though the bedside would be better for me. So, when going into college, I knew nursing was my path and never once did I change my major. I knew I wanted to do women’s health but there is such a broad spectrum in women’s health. I had clinical rotations in labor and delivery and that was it. I loved the personal aspect of it, the intimacy of care I could provide, and that if I told terrible jokes my patients would give me more pity laughs or at least lighten the mood.

Labor and delivery is never the same thing day in and day out. Labor and delivery is full of adrenaline, thinking one step forward, caring, critical thinking, bonding, teamwork, and adapting to quick change on the turn of a dime. I still find myself relating all of these skills to working at Spanky’s or any restaurant, as a restaurant can change every minute too.

I can’t pin down one specific story for what steered me specifically to labor and delivery, but many stories. It was the first time I saw an undying love in a parent’s eye when baby was placed on their chest, the first cry of a newborn, the pain we help these women work through, the endurance of these patients, the stories of these families and being allowed to help them in their most vulnerable time as humans. 

Some of my favorite deliveries are the ones where we (the patient and I), worked so hard for their desired delivery. One of my most memorable deliveries was when I had a patient that was terrified of a c-section and wanted to do everything in her power to avoid it.

I had her three nights in a row, she moved and repositioned like a rotisserie chicken. She never lost her focus even though it was very disheartening and discouraging that it was night three of induction. We did it. She got her vaginal delivery when everyone else said she wouldn’t. When I get the thank you’s from my patients or from the doctors, or even the great team work my coworkers and I have, I know I am in the right place.

Successful deliveries is only a part of the job.

There is heartbreak and deliveries where the baby just doesn’t make it, due to any number of things. Those are the times where I consider leaving. What brings me back and what keeps me going are the families I get to provide for. As hard of a situation as it is, they still are thankful for the care and their safety as well.

We all get training in bereavement care. So if there is a demise, we do hand prints and foot prints, pictures, molds, pick out outfits and blankets and help the family mourn their loss. It’s the tiny details in care that remind me I’m in the right spot, again.

Since beginning my career as a nurse in Labor & Delivery, I have given birth to my daughter, Emerson. I feel like my job has changed in that I understand more now. I understand the pain, the exhaustion, the discomfort, the vulnerability and the emotions. I feel I can teach my patients a lot better. After having Emerson, I definitely can teach a lot better and be more relatable. 

As a labor and delivery nurse, we don’t just work at the bedside, bumping Pitocin for delivery. We do much more than just deliveries; we are triage nurses, we are operating room nurses, we are baby nurses, and we’re masters at repositioning and flipping patients. Our critical and fast thinking definitely helps us in providing individualized care for each patient.

Some patients need frequent repositioning for comfort, some need emotional encouragement, some need somebody just to be there and hold their hand. Labor and delivery is not just caring for a patient in “that room number down the hall.” We truly do care and bond with the families that we are privileged to work with. It would be nice for patients and doctors to see the sacrifice we put into serving our patients for a safe delivery for mom and baby.

Too bad there’s not Toast, Square, or Micros for tip service. Again, I’m kidding! I’m not in it for money; I truly do love what I do.

If you’re reading this and want ways to help recognize your nurses, you can always nominate your nurse for a DAISY award. The DAISY Foundation has grown internationally and is dedicated to recognizing nurses that exhibit extraordinary compassion, courage, and integrity. You can nominate a nurse by submitting a letter to their manager or through their website.

It is the best feeling when I receive a little pin and a hand written note from my patient. (Yes, I keep all of them and read them occasionally whenever I’ve had a bad shift and need encouragement.)